The Washington critic., 1887-02-22
TIE WATCH-HOUSE APPARITION

Afer the rebellion of 170S number
of unfortunate rebels were executed In
the city of Dublin, and the scene Of
their last agony was, in general, one of
the bridges which then spanned the
Liffey. Thus Carlisle Bridge, Church
Street Bridge (as then named), Queens
Bridge and Bloody Bridge, all had their
record of hangings and beheadings and
most of them were for some time
adorned with ghastly trophies in the
shape Of the heads of notorious insur.
gents. At this period, too, vast mum
bers of wretched peasants, who were
suspected of completely in the insurrcc.
tioD, were daily slaughtered by the
hands Of the yeomanry, cavalry and
other troops which secured all the sur
rounding country. The bodies of these
poor wretches were publicly exposed
in various parts of the city.
Very many were TO be seen lying in
front of the Royal Barracks. In the
Castle Yard they were laid in rows as
the yeomanry brought then. IN. Burial
In regularly consccrated e.. -eyard
was refused, and huge hole being
dug In the muddy bank which then
bordered the Lifley, opposite the Royal
Barrack, the corpses were flung In
wholesale, and this dismal sepulchre
was long known as the "Croppics'
hole" or "Croppies acre" When
the course Of the Lilley was straight
ened, and the present walls and quays
built, this Croppies' hole in great part
was taken into the Espianadc, which
now forms the front of the ROYAL
Barracks, and at present there Is no
trace whatever OF this burial ground to
be discovered.
For many years succeeding this mel.
ancholy period, Dublin was left to the
care of the Old Watch. There were
watch.houses at the junction of Prussia
street, Backhouse land and Stoney.
batter-at the junction of King street
and Church street, and also at the end
of Queens Bridge, as well as In other
localities. The Liffey wound its ser
pentine course between long banks of
mud, with here and there a landing
place for boats. One of these existed
between Bloody Bridge and Queens
Bridge, close to OXmapstown Green,
and here gravel walk led down to a
regular slip, where river wherrics piled
for hire.
The Irish nature has ever been prone
to put much faith in supernatural
events, and 1t Is not surprising that,
for long after the sanguinary period
succeeding 1908, the neighborhood OF
the Liifey, and especially the bridges
and the locality about the Croppies'
hole, bore very bad name; and few
men were to be found brave or reckless
enough to venture alone by night In
these places. AS have already men
toned, there was, at the end of Queens
Bridge, n small watch house erected to
act merely as temporary shelter for
the men on duty, and not Intended to
be used In any way us residence. 1t
Is in reference to this watch house
that the following startling narrative
Is related. 1t was the rule that there
should always be one man in this
watCh.house, who acted as sort
of guard or sentinel, and whose
duty II was TO remain awake all night
on the qui vive ready to attend to any
messages delivered, and to admit any
other other watchman who might come
on duty, or for temporary shelter and
rest. Late in the afternoon of Ger.
tain day, at the period when the thirst
for vengeance on the Insurgents was at
its height, there had been an execution
carried out on the Queens bridge. A
young athletic and handsome fellow
had been hanged over the parapet of
the bridge, and as usual his body was
left to swing for some hours. The
sun had set as the rebel was strung up,
and darkness fell Immediately, which
caused the crowd of idle spectators,
which had assembled to witness the
spectacle, to scatter quietly, as no man
cared to be last to leave the ghastly
scene once night had dropped. Con.
sequently, within an hour after the ex.
ecution, the bridge was perfectly soil.
tary, and as the darkness became in.
tense, It was impossible to distinguish
outline of the rude scaffold on which
the unfortunate victim had suffered.
AT this hour one watchman alone
occupied the station at the Pembroke
quay opening to the bridge. This was
man named Peter Doherty, tough
old veteran, who had been n trooper,
and had seen many bloody field, and
had faced death in many terrible
scene of carnage. lie was of undauut.
ed courage, reckless, devil.may. care
old cask, who was fond of his glass,
and always took care to be well pro.
vided with goodly supply of rum In
an immense Dutch bottle, which was
never absent from his pocket. The
fact that corpse was swinging on n
gallows within few yards had not the
Slightest effect upon Peters nerves.
He had drawn in front of good fire a
short form or long stool, and ON this he
was seated, smoking short pipe at
intervals, and occasionally tRking a
pull ut his rum tla-k, whiehG hummel
bar or two of some old campaigning
ditty.
Ii happened that Peter got uo to light
his pipe at a candle which burned on n
table by the window, and when he
turned rouLd to resume his seat on the
stool he was very much surprised Ia
perceive that IL was already occupied
by II female, who sat in an attitude OF
grief. her face buried in her hands
and her body swaying to and fro. rs II
she was weeping bitterly, though Peter
head no sound.
The door of the house was closed,
ard the watchmau could not under.
stand how his visitor had entered and
taken her seat without attracting his
attention.
He observed that she wore the dress
of person of some quality, and from
her figure he Judge d she must be young,
Peter approached and said;
"What can do for you, ma 'nmt'
There was no reply; the woman
continued as before, apparently tol
much overwhelmed with grief TO heal
the question.
Peter stretched out his hand, intend.
ing to place it on the lady's shouldei
TO attract her attention. His amaze
ment may be conceived when he found